Table of Contents
Pharmacy as a Career
Introduction: Pharmacy are developed to organize educational programs and research activities for spreading and establishing awareness on the need and scope of quality standards for drugs and related articles/ materials. Pharmacists is the first person of health care system by playing various roles like academic pharmacists, industrial pharmacist , community pharmacists, clinical pharmacists, hospital pharmacists, veterinary pharmacist etc.
All pharmacists working in different fields of the profession are directly or indirectly related to nation’s health. Finally pharmacists are responsible for insuring that “Right drug to right patient at right time in right dose through right route in right way.” So that pharmacists is an integral part of health care system.
General/ clinical practice:
- Clinical pharmacists often apply their knowledge of medications in the medication plan of a particular patient and evaluate the appropriateness of the dose, side effects, efficacy and drug interactions.
- In many cases, the clinical pharmacist with work directly with patients to help them understand the medications they take and encourage them to take the medications as directed.
- Pharmacists are monitoring patient progress with medications and making relevant recommendations to change and evaluating medication therapy and making appropriate recommendations to patients or health practitioners. Pharmacists are also called as primary informers in the medical department.
- According to new authority by government pharmacists are also open our own clinics and provide the primary treatment to the patient and also treat the emergency condition in the absence of doctors.
Academic practice:
- In academic pharmacist focus on teaching, research and training of the upcoming pharmacist. On the basis of knowledge and skill pharmacists are appointed for different- different post in the academic institute.
- By arranging seminar, project, or system academics, pharmacist plays valuable role in health care system. Education motivates the professionals in the health care system.
- From their basic education training and pre-registration training, students acquire a broad understanding of the scientific principles and techniques of the pharmaceutical sciences and the ability to keep pace throughout their careers with developments in medicine and pharmacy.
In Health program
- According to WHO “Health is complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely absence of disease.
- According to Ayurveda swath’s health is defined as “well balance metabolism. In spite of short coming in the WHO difference the Concept of the health is wide and positive and provides an overall goal towards which nations.
- To achieve this goal every nation sets professional persons in healthcare System Pharmacist, Physician/doctors, Nurses, Compounder, Dispenser. Health related other service provide by pharmacists that is:
- Health missions
- Health consultant
- Doctor’s Assistant
In Hospital Pharmacy
- Hospital pharmacists are play the key role in monitoring the supply of all medicines used in the hospital and are in charge of purchasing, manufacturing, dispensing and quality testing their medication stock along with help from pharmacy assistants and pharmacy technicians.
- Hospital pharmacists can offer information on potential side effects and check that medicines are compatible with existing medication.
- They will often also monitor the effects of treatments to ensure that they are proving effective, safe and appropriate to the user, Like doctors, pharmacist regularly attends ward rounds and more involved in selecting treatments for patients.
- Some pharmacists specialize as consultant in many areas as Hematology (blood), Nephrology (kidneys), Cardiology (heart), Urology (urinary), pediatrics (children),Diabetes and infections disease etc. it also participate in:
- Prescribing
- Dispensing
- Administration
- Documentation
- Monitoring
- Pharmacovigilance: Pharmacovigilance is the science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other medicine /vaccine related problem. The word “pharmacovigilance” are- pharmakon (means drug) and vigilar (to keep watch). Pharmacovigilance is concerned with identifying the hazards associated with pharmaceutical products and with minimizing the risk of any harm that may come to patients.
Research and development:
- Pharmacist contributes to research, and their expertise in formulation development is of particular relevance to the biological availability of active ingredients. Pharmacists perform the many experiments and develop the drug formulation and develop the convenient dosages form according to demands and need and maintain the resister of the drugs. It also decided the suitable excipients for APis. It also help in the development of combination drugs.
- Pharmacists are also involved in the vaccine preparation.
Pharmaceutical marketing and Management:
- Pharmacist are participate in the marketing and distribution by provide the knowledge about the drugs to the physicians.
- Advertisement, news, and multimedia are also the components of the pharmaceutical marketing.
- Management, is the key features of any jobs and companies. In the pharmaceutical regular checkup of drug, temperature maintaining, moisture regulation, light availability etc. are include in management. In any job regular practice and time management is very important factors. The inclusion of pharmacist in all levels of management promotes an ethical approach within management policies.
Chemist shop and Medical store:
- Pharmacists are also authorize to open our own chemist shop and checking , dispensing of prescription drugs and providing advice on drug selection and usage. It also called community pharmacist. Community pharmacist are directly closed with the public and provide the complete information about disease.
- Community pharmacist is also taking on more of the clinical roles that have traditionally been undertaken by doctors, such as the management of asthma and diabetes as well as blood pressure testing.
- They also help people give up smoking, alter their diets to make them healthier and advise on reproductive health matters.
In Industry:
Pharmacists are involved and responsible for wide area activities in industry. Pharmacists are involved in drug discovery process, drug safety studies, formulations of dosage forms, clinical trials, marketing and management.
Role of pharmacist in industry
- Formulation development.
- Manufacturing department.
- Quality control and Quality assurance.
- Sales and marketing.
- Management.